This invention relates generally to analog to digital conversion and more specifically to the high resolution digital quantization of relatively small changes of an analog signal.
Systems currently in use perform high resolution digital quantization by a variety of methods including: (1) employing resettable threshold detectors which provide an asynchronous output and usually supply no information concerning the absolute magnitude of the signal being quantized, and (2) performing analog to digital conversion at high enough accuracy levels to detect relatively small changes in the analog input signal being quantized. This precise analog to digital conversion requires the use of extremely precise, stable, high power, and expensive devices.